Last week I began what I thought would be the simple and straightforward job of installing rear parking sensors to the camper. Little did I know that this three hour job would take me nearly two weeks to complete…
The sensors were from Amazon and cost €45 for 4 sensors, power module and remote speaker. They do sell a Camper van specific version with 6 sensors and extra long cables but for a standard Fiat Ducato panel van the 4 sensor pack is more than sufficient and the cables long enough to fit to the width of the van.
Taking off the rear plastic bumper cover is easy with 8 × Torx 30 bolts, 4 above and 4 below. And when you clean the inside of the plastic you will see 4 × circles already marked which is where the sensors would be placed if they were factory fitted. These indicators line up with the holes in the bumper to accommodate the depth of the sensors when fitted.
The kit comes with a 22mm hole saw and after drilling the holes you can fit the sensors marked A-D in any direction you wish. The sensors were a little fiddly to fit perfectly as they are made for a slightly thinner plastic bumper, but with a small screwdriver on the rubber fixings and pulling from behind the sensor, they go in perfectly.
The cables can be threaded through and zip tied to the bumper and with our van there is a grommet in the far right bottom corner already there which allows all 4 cables to be pulled up from the rear light cluster inside the van. Re-fitting the grommet with a little extra waterproofing and then the bumper cover is straightforward and all that remains is the wiring which is where the fun started for me…
There is an earthing bolt directly behind the light cluster which is where I wanted to fix the ground. This bolt was a little difficult to access but with a 10mm socket and me in an awkward position and also sweating profusely from the 35°C afternoon, I tried to loosen the very tight bolt. Unfortunately my left hand slipped off the socket with a lot of force and I managed to slice my middle finger knuckle completely open. Knowing immediately that this was a bad one and would require a little more than a running tap and a band aid, I called Leela from work and we drove to the hospital. Six hours later and after an emergency hand operation to repair the severed tendon and I had a lovely sore finger and 15 stitches for the next 10 days!
Picking the installation back up over a week later and finding out that I had actually loosened the bolt, I fitted the ground and then located the reversing light wire, which on our 2022 Ducato was the thicker grey wire with green trace, and joined the power to it. The speaker I routed behind the fresh water tank to near the kitchen area under the bed which is audible from the drivers seat.
Apart from my incompetence the installation was straightforward and the sensors surprisingly good. They are well made, look professional on the bumper, quite accurate and the speaker is more than loud enough to be heard inside the camper and does not even need to be on the loudest setting. So in all an excellent purchase and upgrade that could save a costly reversing accident to the van. I just wished I knew before that to install it required having a hand operation…
Hope you all have better luck!
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